Snoring impacts many areas of our lives. But did you know snoring can cause hearing loss?
Protect your relationship, and protect against the effects of snoring!
The effects of snoring are wide-reaching, impacting relationships, health, and productivity. Approximately 45% of normal adults snore occasionally, and approximately 25% of adults are habitual snores. Snoring seems to be more common in men, though many women also snore. Habitual snoring becomes more common the older we get.
Spotting the Effects of Snoring
Do you know someone who snores? Maybe someone who lives in your home snores. Or, worse yet, maybe your partner is an habitual snorer. If so, I feel sorry for you. You’re likely considering turning your home office into a guest bedroom designed for nightly use. Either that, or you live a bleary-eyed, caffeinated existence. More than once per day, people ask if you’re a real-life zombie: un-dead, dressed in stained clothing, and roaming the streets of Naples in search of your next meal. Or, similarly, others look at the dark circle under your eyes, glance down at your mismatched socks, and ask what you named your newborn baby. (“Uh, nothing. No newborn baby. Snorer for a husband,” you mumble tiredly and almost incomprehensibly.)
Snoring’s Impact
Yes, snoring takes its toll on both the snorer and the listener. How, exactly, does it impact us?
- Snoring impacts quality of sleep. It may cause reduced quality of sleep in the sufferer, and it typically causes unrest for the snorer’s partner.
- It can hinder relationships. When two people aren’t sleeping well, it can impact their relationship with one another. Bickering, bitterness, frustration — well, you get the idea.
- Snoring can indicate more serious health issues. Sleep apnea — pauses in breathing — causes snoring, light sleep, and a host of issues.
- It can cause hearing loss. Say what?! Yes, snoring can cause hearing loss for both the snorer and the snorer’s partner. In addition to the prolonged exposure to loud noises, sleep apnea (a root cause of snoring) can cause inflammation of the cochlea. This inflammation can lead to hearing loss.
Snoring and Hearing Loss
It’s no mystery. Snoring directly impacts our own health, along with the relationship we have with our significant other. How, then, should you proceed? Below is a step-by-step, fool proof guide.
- Determine if you snore. Maybe you live alone. Or, perhaps you choose to believe your significant other is telling lies in order to belittle you in public. Whatever the case may be, record your sleep with a smart phone or other recording device to divine the truth.
- Determine if you have sleep apnea. Get tested — we can help you with a referral! Follow the doctor’s recommendations. (Be prepared: recommendations may involve losing weight, changing your diet, or wearing a very attractive sleep mask. Discomfort, I shake my fist at you!)
- Determine if you or your significant other has hearing loss. Perhaps the easiest and most carefree of the fool proof steps, getting a hearing test is a no-brainer. It’s free, it’s painless (literally and figuratively), and the results are instantaneous. Plus, you and your partner can schedule a hearing test together. It’ll be like a day date — so cute!
- Sleep well. Prepare to sleep deeply, thereby stalling signs of aging, regaining your mental capabilities, lowering stress, and boosting your mood.
Repair your relationship, take control of your health, and kick sleepless nights to the curb! Contact us to get started — we are “hear” to help! (Get it?!) Decibels Audiology and Hearing Center offers free hearing tests and consultations. We love our patients, and our mission is to help you achieve health and wellness in every area of life. Call us today!